Get Lit!: Three Different Neighborhoods Spark Up One Bar

March 30, 2004

Take a former lighting fixtures store, add some tables, good pub food, and booze, and voilà: Flatbush Avenue boasts a new beaming destination spot. Three-month-old City Lighting’s greatest asset may be that it sits at the border of three neighborhoods—Park Slope, Boerum Hill, and Prospect Heights—thus promising a diverse crowd every time. Once inside you’ll be surprised at how dimly the place is lit. Singles, couples, and families sip suds and chat over softly played music from the Ramones (that’s right, they play the Ramones at a low volume) to the Beach Boys in the two cozy rooms connected by an archway. The friendly waitstaff and bartenders are the joint’s shining stars, but expect a bewildered stare now and again if you order anything other than the standard mixed drinks or beer. That didn’t stop us from enjoying one of the many beers like Stella Artois ($5; stay tuned for rotating “guest” tap beers in the future), a well-made spicy Bloody Mary ($5), and a nicely selected snifter of Delacour brandy ($6). Less satisfying was a too sour vodka collins (vodka, club soda, sugar, lemon, orange slice, and a cherry; $5). Knock a buck off draft and well drinks at happy hour, Monday through Thursday from 5 to 8. On Fridays and Saturdays you can order chocolate chip pancakes after midnight; if you prefer to come early on the weekends be sure to catch the bluegrass brunch. City Lighting may be a bright idea after all.